The Next Wave ft. Injury Reserve's New Single and a Record-Breaking Music Festival

Your dose of music discovery from Pigeons and Planes has landed. Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Next Wave. This week, we're featuring Injury Reserve's new single "Knees." We're also answering your burning questions about burnout, blogs, and the future of the music industry. Plus, learn about Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's record-breaking US Festival. [Subscribe to the Newsletter]( Injury Reserve - "Knees" It's been a little over two years since Phoenix's Injury Reserve dropped their [debut self-titled album](. Originally a trio, Injury Reserve was rappers Ritchie With a T, Stepa J. Groggs, and producer Parker Corey. Last week, Injury Reserve shared a new single and announced their first album since Groggs' tragic passing in June of 2020. "Knees" is a somber, strikingly honest reflection on mortality, delivered over a swelling beat that feels powerful yet understated at the same time. In the wake of their loss, the lines "My knees hurt 'cause I'm growing / And that's a tough pill to swallow" hit just a little harder. In fact, the entire album, titled By the Time I Get to Phoenix, is not only a nod to the group's hometown, but also a homage to Groggs. According to a statement by Ritchie and Parker, "Once the tracklist came together and we started to make sense of it, one of the last phone conversations we had with Groggs was over his love for the repurposing of Isaac Hayes' 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix' to title the album." They continue, "All this said obviously this album is dedicated to Jordan Alexander Groggs, aka Stepa J. Groggs with one p better get it right. Typing here feels small in the space of your real physical absence but you, your voice and your words continue to echo around us all thru these recordings and so many others and everything else. thank you for your time, we love and miss you, of course of course." [Listen to "Knees"]( Dear Pigeons is our advice column. We put out asks on social media for questions from the readers, and we'll do our best to give advice, guidance, ramblings, and recommendations based on our own experiences. Dear Pigeons, Something you want to see happen in the industry in 5 years? - @lightnightgnat via Instagram Artist development. There are so many technological and economic advancements that I'm looking forward to, but from my perspective, the biggest issue in the industry is the lack of development for acts in the early stages. We've got more access to data and analytics than ever before, and it's led to a completely formulaic approach in the music business. Labels watch the data, wait for something to start going up, and jump on it when it's moving. I think we're missing out on a lot of great music simply because all artists are expected to be great at social media, find an audience, and build a platform on their own. Before labels invest and media outlets support, they want to see a social following and streams. I hope that in the coming years, we see new companies and platforms emerge who are interested in helping to BUILD that momentum rather than just trying to capitalize off it. I get it, it's a business and everyone wants to minimize risk—if an artist isn't willing to put themselves out there and connect with fans in one way or another, they're never going to make it. But right now, I think we're seeing way too much emphasis on acts who are just good at social media, and not all great artists are naturals when it comes to that stuff. At the same time, not all great self-promoters are good at making music. There will always be a lane for the overnight success stories and labels will always look for proof of concept, but there needs to be an alternative path, otherwise a lot of great artists are never going to get their shot. - [Jacob Moore]( Founder/GM of Pigeons and Planes Dear Pigeons, How do y'all handle the pressure of having to produce content on a daily basis? - @humbertocarva via Twitter Dear @humbertocarva, That's a great question. To be honest, I don't think we've figured out how to handle the pressure of producing content daily. You see, some days it comes easy. Our cup overrunneth with content. There are big, breaking news stories to share, and interesting, rising artists are blessing us with exciting music. But then there are days when the world feels a little more cold and terrible than usual, and the last thing that matters is a music brand posting about a new EP or a throwback clip that we've probably seen before. There are times when we'll post 5 new artists in a row on our socials, and the commenters cry, "Who?! Why are you posting this?!" And then there are days when we'll post something about a mainstream artist and the response is, "Why don't you post new artists?!" We post, and the numbers are good and we are happy... or we post, and the numbers are bad and we wonder what we did wrong. Some days the pressure and weight of it all crushes us down into a ball of ash. But some days that pressure makes diamonds, and the content shines brighter than 1,000 suns. And so we beat on, boats against the current, creating content and casting it ceaselessly into the void of The Internet, hoping to leave our mark as the best music discovery brand of all time. - [John Walaszek]( Associate Director of Content Strategy, Pigeons & Planes Dear Pigeons, I do marketing for a small music blog at my school. Any tips on how to grow that blog? - @joshuaaa.j via Instagram Hi joshuaaaa.j, My number one piece of advice would be to find your niche and commit to it. What are you and the team at the blog passionate about? What are you excited to write about or cover? Most importantly, what is going to make your outlet stand out in an insanely crowded online world? In the short term, it might seem attractive to attach yourself to whatever the biggest news is or whoever the biggest names are. If you post about Kanye on this damn internet, it's going to get clicks/likes/views/whatever. But there are a thousand other people doing the same thing. In the longer term, a passion for the subject matter and a unique point of view is going to help you build a real, sustainable audience. There's [a great section]( of Tyler, the Creator's recent Hot 97 interview where he describes the current media landscape in America as a snake eating its own tail. He highlights how often the same stories, images, and news are regurgitated across platforms, and he wishes there were more unique and varied perspectives. "Geeks are so important. People who care," Tyler says. If that's the foundation of what you're doing, no matter how big your audience, you'll be more fulfilled by your work and you'll be bringing something of value into the world. Good luck! - [Alex Gardner]( Director of Strategy & Operations at Pigeons & Planes Dear Pigeons, I love music and want a career around it. But how when I have no talent? - @garrett.still via IG I learned pretty late in the game that there's more to the music industry than just musicians and labels, and it took me a while to find what exactly I wanted to do. In fact, I'm still figuring it out. Everyone has strengths—your talents may not be musical, but I guarantee that there are things you do well. A great way to learn more about fields that best fit your strengths is through informational calls. Most people in music were in your shoes once and would be more than happy to talk a little about what they do and how they got there. Research labels, media companies, and more on LinkedIn and message a few people you'd like to learn from. Be patient and sincere when reaching out and you should have no problem forming those connections. Also, we recently spoke to A&Rs, music video directors, publicists, and more professionals about the realities of some of the industry's most coveted jobs. The article, which you can check out [here]( is a helpful guide when figuring out which roles may be the best for you. - [Maddy Quach]( Community Manager at Pigeons and Planes In 1983, David Bowie, Van Halen, and The Clash headlined Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's second annual US Festival. Other performers included Stevie Nicks, The English Beat, Ozzy Osbourne, Flock Of Seagulls, and a young U2. The festival was split into "New Wave Day," "Heavy Metal Day," and "Rock Day." Entry to the event was only $20 per day, and Wozniak is rumored to have lost $20 million on the festival. Both David Bowie and Van Halen were offered $1 million to play the festival. Upon hearing that Bowie was being paid the same amount as them, Van Halen pointed to a clause in their contract stating that they must be the highest-paid act. As a result, the band walked away with $1.5 million and the Guinness World Record for Highest Amount Paid to an Act for a Single Performance. [Complex on Instagram]( [Complex on Facebook]( [Complex on Twitter]( [Complex on YouTube]( © Complex Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 229 W. 43rd Street, 10th Floor New York, NY 10036 You are receiving this email because you've signed up for the Next Wave Newsletter. Want to stop receiving messages from Pigeons & Planes ? [Unsubscribe]( [Click here to view this email in your browser.]( Pigeons & Planes is part of: [Complex Networks](